Theater-chair.



F. J. KERBEL.

THEATER CHAIR.

APPLICATION men FEB. 24. 1914.

Patented June 29, 1915.

WITNESSES:

l/VVE/VTOR 56/ (X h efe/ ATTORNEY YHE NORRIS PETERS 50.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON. 0. CV

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FREDRICK JOHN KERIBEL, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOB TO ROBERT J. NODERER, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

THEATER-CHAIR.

Application filed February 24, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRICK J.KERBEL,C1tlzen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Theater-Chairs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in chairs that are adapted for use in theaters, music halls and like places of public assembly, and the object of my improvement 1s to provide chairs which, in the usual manner, can be disposed within an auditorium in series of rows having but little space between adjacent rows, and which, by their plan of construction, will permit the occupant of such chairs to remain seated while persons are traversing the length of the space between such occupants and the back of the adjacent row. I attain this object by de vices illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a theater chair embodying my invention showing the seat of such chair raised; Fig. 2 is a view in vertical mid-section of the same showing the seat portion lowered and illustrating by broken lines a certain position that such seat portion may be caused to assume; Fig. 3 is a view in vertical mid-sea tion of a modified form of my invention, certain portions being broken away, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a detail of my invention, and Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of another detail of my invention.

In halls, theaters and like places where large crowds of people are to be seated it is common practice to arrange the chairs in a series of rows, and in order to utilize economically the floor space of such places the rows of chairs are usually placed so closely together that when a person attempts to pass between adjacent rows to reach an unoccupied chair distant from an aisle then it becomes necessary that persons who are seated between such aisle and such unoccupied chair shall arise to give passageway, thus causing great annoyance to all. By my invention such annoyance is obviated, since persons while seated may each cause the seat of their chair to move swingingly backward for a sufiicient distance to permit a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1915.

Serial No. 820,427.

person readily to pass along the space between them and the row of chairs immediately in front of them.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like numerals indicate like parts, 6 is the frame of a theater chair which is similar in size to the ordinary theater chair and which is provided on either side with oppositely disposed forwardly projecting side arms 7, 7 to which are pivotally secured the top ends of suspension links 8, 9, l0 and 11, which suspension links have their bottom ends articulated with the shorter horizontally disposed limbs of two L shaped seat and back supports 12 and 13, as more clearly shown in Fig. 1, the links 8 and 9 being articulated with the support 12 and the links 10 and 11 being articulated with the support 13 whereby such supports may be adapted to swing backwardly and forwardly on such limbs, as clearly illustrated by the broken lines in Fig. 2.

The shorter horizontal limbs of the support are connected with each other by a cross-bar 14 on which is pivotally disposed a seat 15 that is adapted when lowered as shown in Fig. 2, to rest upon and be supported by lugs 16 and 17 that are provided on the outermost ends of each of the members 12 and 13, and the vertically disposed longer limbs of the members 12 and 13 have a rigid seat back 18 to extend therebetween whereby such upright portions of the mem bers 12 and 13 are rigidly secured together, such members 12 and 13 serving to secure together the seat 15 and the back 18 whereby such seat 15 and back 18 may swing simultaneously on the links 8, 9, 10 and 11.

When the chair is in use it will assume a position as shown by full lines in Fig. 2, but if the chair be occupied and a person attempts to pass in front of such chair then the occupant thereof may by a slight pressure of the feet move the chair seat 15 and chair back 18 backwardly into the position shown by broken lines in Fig. 2, thus permitting such person to pass while the occupant. of the chair remains seated and when the backward pressure is released the chair will naturally move forwardly to a position as shown by full lines in Fig. 2, the upright portions of the members 12 and 13 being stopped by engaging with shoulders 19, 19

that are formed by notchingtherear end of the side arms 7, 7 as more clearly shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 3 wherein I have shown by a view in vertical section one side of a symmetrically constructed chair embodying a modi-. fied form of my invention, 20 is a chair frame that is provided on each side with a forwardly projecting chair arm 21 to which are pivotally attached the top ends of links 22 and 23, the lower end of the link 22 being articulated by a pivot 24 with the forward end of a horizontal supporting side-bar 25, and the lower end of the link 23 being articulated by a pivot 26 with the rear end of the same supporting side-bar 25, links similar to the links 22 and 23 and a supporting bar similar to the supporting bar 25 being connected in a similar manner with the opposite side of the chair frame 20 (not shown) and a cross-bar 27 on which is pivotally mounted a seat 28 extending between and connecting such supporting bars. The

links 22 and 23 are inclined forwardly from bottom to top when in a normal position, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, whereby they con stantly may exert a forward pull on the side member 25 and back support 29, and the back support 29 is adapted to engage with shoulders similar to the shoulders 19, 19 to limit the forward movement of the various parts.

The back support 29 has a rigid back portion 30, similar to the back portion 18, secured thereto and such back support 29 has its lower end secured to the side-bar 25 by the pivot 26, and it is adapted when the chair is in its normal position to rest; against, and be supported by, an angular bearing surface 31 that is provided on the end 32 of the side-bar 25, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, the lower end of such back support 29 being adapted to rest against, and be-supported by, another angular bearing surface 33 that is provided on the same enlarged rear end 32 when the seat is moved backwardly, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 3.

In order that-the top; portion of the back 30 may not move baekwardly to interfere with a person that may be. seated behind such chair I have provided a slotted bar 34.

' outer end of the slotted hole 35 to move the top, of the-back 30 inwardly as clearly shown by broken lines in Fig. 3.

Engaging lugs, or stops 37 are provided on the edges of the chair seat 28 at the rear of the cross-bar 27 to support said seat in its lowered position, and set screws 38 may if desired be screwed into said lugs to provide means for raising and lowering the front portion of such seat, said set screws being adaptedto bear on the member '25 as more clearly shown in Fig. 5.

Obviously many changes in the mechanical construction of my device may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim is:

In a chair, the combination with a chair frame, of seat-supporting brackets, a back pivotally-connected with the brackets, a plurality of suspending links pivotally-attached to the chair frame 1 and to the brackets, a slotted link connecting the back with one of the suspending links, and double inclinedfaced abutments carried by the brackets and disposed to be engaged by the back.

In witness whereof, I, hereunto subscribe name this 2nd day of February A. D.,

FREDRICK JOHN KERBEL.

Witnesses:

EDWIN L. GAGE, BEN BRO N.

Copies. of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner oftratents, Washington, D. 0'. 

